Railbird 2004–2019

Santa Anita

Memories

For Andrew Champagne, the best isn’t ahead at Santa Anita:

Furthermore, there are bad memories from the last two occasions the Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita. In 2008 and 2009, the main track was a synthetic surface, and European horses won a disproportionate amount of races. It’s been switched back to conventional dirt since then, but East Coast horses routinely have trouble with the surface.

Re: East Coast horses, sure, the stats are bad — particularly for New Yorkers.

But bad memories? Coming after the horror of the 2007 Breeders’ Cup — watching George Washington slump into death on the sloppy Monmouth stretch and listening to the unknowing crowd clap as his lifeless body was driven away in the horse ambulance in the gathering gloom of a chilly twilight remains one of my worst racing memories — the light, warmth, and lack of dying horses at Santa Anita* in 2008 and 2009 was wonderful. There, at least, people were cheering for the living. I’m so glad the BC is back in Arcadia.

*I admit to being a little worried about what might happen this year. The publicly available Equine Injury Database stats for Santa Anita haven’t been updated since April 2012, but the fatality rate is up post-synth (PDF).

Champagne link via @docfonda, Santa Anita EID PDF via @o_crunk.

Posted in Racing on October 26, 2012 / Tagged #BC12, Breeders' Cup, East Coast Shippers, Santa Anita, West Coast Bias

Unfair

Mike Watchmaker on the Super Saturday Santa Anita main track bias:

Look, horses like Game On Dude and Executiveprivilege were probably going to win Saturday whether or not there was a bias, so I don’t think they should be penalized for riding the crest of the way the track was playing. I am less convinced about Love and Pride and Power Broker. But I do know that the way the track was playing, well bet closers such as Richard’s Kid, Include Me Out, Amani, and Capo Bastone had absolutely zero chance. And that’s not fair.

Come the Breeders’ Cup, will we have reason to miss the Santa Anita synthetic?

Posted in Racing on September 30, 2012 / Tagged Bias, Breeders' Cup, Handicapping, Santa Anita, Super Saturday, Track Surfaces

The Home Track Advantage

Jon White looks ahead from Super Saturday to Santa Anita:

The Breeders’ Cup was held at Santa Anita in 1986, 1993, 2003, 2008 and 2009. In those five years, 31 Breeders’ Cup races were decided on Santa Anita’s main track. Horses coming off a race in New York have won just one of those 31 races for a miniscule 3.2% strike rate. That one winner was Lady’s Secret, who captured the 1986 Distaff after having won the Beldame in her most recent start. Lady’s Secret was voted 1986 Horse of the Year and entered the Hall of Fame in 1992.

Yikes. I knew the record was poor, but that’s a stark stat.

New York prepped horses do a bit better finishing in the money in main track Breeders’ Cup races at Santa Anita, with 17 running either second or third in the five years the BC has been held at the SoCal track. The main track race in which New York prepped horses have done the best at Santa Anita is the Juvenile Fillies — five New York fillies have finished in the money. New Yorkers also did their best on the Santa Anita main track in 2008 and 2009 — the synthetic surface years — when five and four, respectively, finished in the money, particularly in the Filly and Mare Sprint (2nd and 3rd, 2008), Distaff (2nd and 3rd, 2008), and Dirt Mile (2nd and 3rd, 2009).

Posted in Racing on September 28, 2012 / Tagged Belmont Park, Breeders' Cup, New York, Santa Anita, Statistics

Looking Outward

Santa Anita’s willingness to guarantee a Lasix-free Breeders’ Cup in 2013 was a major factor in the decision to return to Arcadia:

“It is very important to us,” said Christian, speaking in Baden-Baden before Sunday’s Grosser Preis von Baden, which is now part of the Breeders’ Cup ‘Win and You’re In’ Challenge series.

“We consider ourselves [an] international event, not an American event — and when you’re an international event you have to adhere to international standards.”

Posted in Racing on September 2, 2012 / Tagged Breeders' Cup, Drugs in Racing, International, Lasix, Raceday Medications, Santa Anita

“If They Had Polytrack We’d Have Been There”

Juddmonte racing manager Teddy Grimthorpe:

“Prince Khalid loves the Breeders’ Cup and we would love to take Frankel to Santa Anita, Bobby Frankel’s home town — the emotional ties would be fantastic.

“But unfortunately the right race is not there — we are not going to race him on dirt. It’s a pity, because if they had Polytrack we’d have been there.”

No dirt. Even a $5 million purse and sentiment aren’t enough.

Posted in Racing on August 24, 2012 / Tagged Breeders' Cup, Frankel, International, Santa Anita, Track Surfaces